Congresswoman Targeted From Inside Government

Interior view of a prison cell block with empty cells and security bars

A government media employee spent 15 months calling in death threats against a pro-Trump congresswoman — and only now is facing real prison time.

Story Snapshot

Former Voice of America worker Seth Jason pleaded guilty after a 15-month threat campaign against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Jason used federal phone lines at Voice of America headquarters to call in repeated death threats to Greene, her staff, and her family.
Prosecutors say he made eight threatening calls, including vows that Greene would not “see the inaugural” and was “as good as dead.”
The case highlights both rising threats against officials and troubling silence from Voice of America about its own failures.

A 15-Month Campaign Of Death Threats Against A Conservative Lawmaker

Federal prosecutors say 64-year-old Maryland resident and former Voice of America employee Seth Jason spent fifteen months calling in violent threats against Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s district offices in Dalton and Rome, Georgia.^[8] Court documents and press reports state he made eight calls between October 11, 2023, and January 21, 2025, each time targeting Greene, her staff, and even their families with graphic talk of murder and gunfire.^[1] These were not stray angry rants, but a long pattern.

The United States Department of Justice says Jason pleaded guilty to two federal crimes: interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure and anonymous telecommunications harassment.^[2] That guilty plea means he admitted using the phone to send clear threats, not just insulting or crude language. A Maryland news outlet reports that court records describe him threatening to shoot Greene “between the eyes” with an AK-47 rifle, a direct and chilling reference to violent action.^[6]

Threats Made From Inside A U.S. Government Media Agency

Investigators with the United States Capitol Police traced the threatening calls back to multiple phone lines tied to studios and control rooms inside Voice of America headquarters in Washington, D.C., where Jason had long worked.^[8] Voice of America is funded by taxpayers and supposed to promote American ideals overseas, yet one of its own staff used federal infrastructure to terrorize a sitting member of Congress at home. Reports say every one of the eight calls came while Jason was physically inside the headquarters building.^[2]

Indictment records and press summaries say the threats escalated over time, with Jason focusing on Greene’s support for conservative policies and her high-profile role in Trump-aligned politics.^[5] On January 8, 2025, just days before the presidential inauguration, he left a voicemail warning that Greene would not “see the inaugural” and that she, her staff, and her family would be dead.^[2] On January 21, 2025, he followed up with another message telling staff they were “as good as dead” and to prepare their wills because “the only thing you’re going to hear is bang…I’m yearning to hear you cry for your last breath.”^[2]

Guilty Plea, Dropped Charges, And Questions About Accountability

The original indictment charged Jason with four crimes: influencing a federal official by threat, influencing a federal official by threatening a family member, interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure, and anonymous telecommunications harassment.^[8] By the time of his plea, however, prosecutors accepted guilty pleas on only two counts, leaving the two “influencing a federal official” charges unresolved and effectively dropped.^[2] That outcome may have shortened his possible prison time even after such a long threat campaign.

While the Department of Justice explains that the two counts he admitted to carry a combined maximum of seven years in prison, public documents do not yet spell out the exact guideline math behind the roughly 30-month prison term prosecutors sought and the court approved.^[2] That sentence still reflects a serious felony, yet many conservatives may wonder why a taxpayer-funded employee who threatened to slaughter an elected official and her family for over a year does not face closer to the maximum time allowed by law.

Rising Threats, Media Narratives, And A Government Double Standard

This case lands in the middle of a national spike in threats against public officials of both parties, with United States Capitol Police reporting thousands of concerning statements and direct threats in recent years.^[17] A Brennan Center study shows threats against lawmakers have risen sharply compared with the last decade, and many officials now report regular abuse and intimidation tied to politics.^[16] Conservatives, including President Trump himself, have often been the prime targets, facing extreme rhetoric that rarely draws the same media outrage.

Mainstream outlets such as The New York Times and major networks framed Jason’s case as a straightforward criminal threat story, with little focus on Voice of America’s internal failure to stop one of its own employees from misusing federal systems.^[2] Voice of America has not offered a detailed public account of how its phone lines could be used for months to deliver death threats without detection, or what safeguards it has added. That silence leaves taxpayers and Trump supporters asking whether federal institutions move as fast when the victim is a conservative lawmaker as when the target fits a liberal narrative.

What This Means For Conservatives And For Free Speech Boundaries

For many on the right, the Jason case underlines two truths at once. First, real threats of violence are not protected speech and must be punished, no matter which side they target. Second, there is a growing sense that powerful media, government-funded outlets, and law enforcement only treat certain threats as urgent. Greene has been one of the most vocal allies of President Trump in Congress, and the fact that a federal media worker felt bold enough to threaten her repeatedly should alarm anyone who cares about fair treatment.

At the same time, the case shows how quickly critics and commentators can blur the line between tough political speech and criminal threats. The Department of Justice and court documents here describe explicit talk of killing, guns, and “last breaths,” which clearly cross that legal line.^[2] Yet Americans who question the scope of the prosecution, the dropped charges, or the length of the sentence risk being painted as soft on violence. The better path is simple: demand equal enforcement of the law, full transparency from agencies like Voice of America, and strong protection for both robust speech and the safety of elected officials from every party.